The Lasso of Truth missed its mark, Naboo's magic continued to work normally on him, and it could even be said that he became even stronger.
The lasso passed through his body like a phantom, not even catching a single hair.
"Naboo! You coward! If you want the end of magic, you must first pass my test!"
Diana raised her head, watching Naboo drift further away, loudly calling him down for a battle.
As an Ancient Mage, Naboo naturally understood the importance of avoiding close combat with a warrior, especially one who is a Female Demigod fully equipped with Divine Artifacts.
"No, I will not come down. Aliens are coming; magic will cease, and the world will be preserved."
Neither Diana nor the Justice League wished for magic to disappear, especially now when the Multiverse is already in a countdown toward destruction.
Various crises were racing from beyond the Origin Wall to Earth, first the Totality, then the Invisible Spectrum.
At such times, any power mastered by humanity could become crucial in the future, and the potential cost of losing magic now is unbearable for anyone.
But Naboo did not care; he only cared about his own order.
He flew toward the sky, disappearing from sight, and suddenly before Diana, a massive Teleportation Gate opened like a Flashpoint, and a nightmare-like figure slid out from it.
Seeing it at first glance brought back Diana's memories.
One day, she had told Deathstroke that as an Amazonian, she never had nightmares.
She lied.
She remembered the nightmare she experienced as a child, the deep-seated fear that made her cry out.
Although the creature before her was unlike the bizarre scenes she had encountered in her youth, an inexplicable feeling connected them.
.........
When Diana was young, her mother forbade her from observing the Undying Witch's rituals, performed by the Elders of the Amazonian Undying Witch Coven.
However, like all children, Diana had a curiosity reflecting her age, and one moonless night, she secretly followed those witches.
They held mysterious rituals deep in the jungles of Paradise Island.
They lit bonfires, danced naked around the flames in strange forms, then embraced in threes, kissing and chanting bizarre spells.
Then Diana saw something she had never witnessed: an object of terror.
The women merged like clay, forming a monstrous creature with three heads and six arms, continually calling out a name.
"Hecate!"
Diana knew this name; in the mythology, she was a triple-faced Goddess, possessing the visages of a Young Lady, a Matron, and an Old Woman, and she was also the Goddess of Witchcraft and souls.
Yet when a terrifying monstrosity like a Banshee appeared amongst the flames, Diana couldn't help but let out a small exclamation.
The terrifying Goddess immediately noticed the young girl.
"Capture her for your Goddess!"
Hecate commanded her witches.
Thus, the witches of Paradise Island, supposed to be loyal to the Queen and Princess, devoted to Olympus, manipulated their newly-formed three-headed bodies, chasing Diana through the dense forest.
It was a night without light, and a tuck of vine tripped Diana, the witches caught her and presented her before Hecate.
Hecate transformed a branding iron, consisting of a circular full moon and a pair of crescent moons resembling wings.
She pressed the iron against Diana's forehead.
The smell of burning flesh and excruciating pain came simultaneously, strong magical powers invaded young Diana's body, and she fainted.
............
Afterwards, Hecate killed the witches and cast Forgetfulness Magic on all at Paradise Island, making them forget the incident.
However, now, upon seeing the figure dangling out from Alternate Space, Diana's sealed memories returned.
She instinctively touched her forehead beneath her tiara, but as always, it was smooth and fine, with no trace of the brand, as if it were truly just a dream.
But all dreams involving magic are often not simple; Diana momentarily couldn't distinguish the boundaries between reality and the Dream Realm.
The creature sliding out of the crack, while humanoid, was covered in white scales with only a gigantic mouth on its face, no other features.
Yet it merely hung quietly, using unknowable means to 'see' Diana.
The air twisted and rippled as the thing spoke human language with a drooling mouth.
Initially awkward, but after a few words, its English was as fluent as its mother tongue.
"You.....can start.....screaming now, or call me the Inverted Man. The concept of the individual form is so intriguing, the harmony of bones and flesh hints at many secrets."
It squirmed its body, squeezing entirely from the space, appearing incompatible with the world, as it was not a creation of this world.
"I hope I formed the limbs correctly; a body is still a new concept for us, and we're adapting."
"You....." Diana hesitated, unsure how to interact with this creature that barely qualifies as human.
At least it was only speaking, despite its terrifying appearance, it hadn't acted yet; perhaps there was room to ease the situation.
"Oh, you're not the one who opened the door for us, the one with the shining helmet? Did you kill him, stole his magic?" The Inverted Man looked around, appearing quite curious.
"No, that's not my style!" Diana immediately denied.
"Wrong! Lies! Your kind are all assassins and thieves; it was you who stole magic from me!" The Inverted Man emitted a bizarre laugh, resembling a sob: "Such a dull world, no wonder your ancestors sneaked into the darkness, stole a bit of magic from me, added it to your world, hoping to make it wild."
"Who are you? What's your connection with Hecate..." Diana frowned, clutching her Weapon and Shield in hand; the atmosphere now seemed off.
"Heh heh heh heh...the world accustomed to magic became dull isn't it? But you forgot magic's darkness; I am that forgotten fear, and I'm here to remind you all!"
The Inverted Man finally mastered human laughter, but its laugh did not bring joy.
For while it laughed, the Door it had just passed through, expelled an eerie tentacle of the sort Diana had seen in the theater, sweeping towards her.
Because that opening isn't a hat, and Diana doesn't smoke, hence avoiding the attack was her only choice.
This bizarre thing could not be chopped off, just like the unyielding trees in mythology, however much is cut off, more grows.
Diana was momentarily flustered; the tentacles were too dense, and the Inverted Man's main body also entangled her making it hard to manage.
Soon the Inverted Man seized her neck, she felt her divine power within instantly vanish like a tide.
Divine Power, actually magic and witchcraft....
"Haha, upon arriving in this world, let's start with devouring you to whet my appetite, though we must first have a stomach."
The Inverted Man displayed an unbelievably frightening grin, its sharp fangs edged closer to Diana's face, and she could smell the unfamiliar stench of Alternate Space.